Warriors get first road win

WARRIORS 109, RAPTORS 102

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Photo: Nathan Denette, AP

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Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis, front, gets knocked down by Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Monday, Nov. 8, 2010. Ellis left the game after the play. less

Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis, front, gets knocked down by Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Monday, Nov. 8, 2010. Ellis left the game ... more

Photo: Nathan Denette, AP

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Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis lies on the court after a collision during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto on Monday, Nov. 8, 2010. Ellis left the game.

Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis lies on the court after a collision during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto on Monday, Nov. 8, 2010. Ellis left the game.

Photo: Nathan Denette, AP

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Toronto Raptors guard Jarrett Jack, right, dives for the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Jeremy Lin during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Monday, Nov. 8, 2010.

Toronto Raptors guard Jarrett Jack, right, dives for the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Jeremy Lin during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Monday, Nov. 8, 2010.

Photo: Nathan Denette, AP

Warriors get first road win

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The Warriors' first road victory of the season, a 109-102 win over Toronto on Monday, is going to cost Stephen Curry in the pocketbook but act as a boost to his confidence at the same time.

Curry is fined by reserve guard Charlie Bell for each of his turnovers, and the point guard had a handful of miscues that contributed to the Warriors blowing the majority of a 20-point lead.

Of course, he also scored 34 points. When Amir Johnson's alley oop cut the Raptors' deficit to 90-86 with 7:15 remaining, however, Curry made sure it wouldn't get any closer, sinking a jump shot and scoring 14 points down the stretch.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, coach Keith Smart was all over Curry during a timeout after a series of missed shots and ballhandling mistakes.

"I'm going to have to be that way, because he's still in a growth cycle," Smart said. "He's learning. Maybe in a year he'll be up there with Jason Kidd, Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups, who know how to manage a game.

"I have to be very patient with that and know that there is going to be some bad with all of the good."

The night seemed destined for more bad than good.

Monta Ellis, who had 28 points, left the game with 1:12 remaining, when Johnson and DeMar DeRozan met him at the same time as he swooped to the basket. Ellis landed awkwardly, hyperextending his leg and taking a jolt to his back on the landing.

The shooting guard had X-rays on his lower back, but the results won't be released until today. He stayed in Toronto for more evaluation as the rest of the team flew to New York.

"His spirit is good, but we won't know the extent of it until later," Smart said. "He went to the basket, took a hard foul and fell (no foul was called). I'll have to check it out on film to know what really happened."

Curry's bad was a little more obvious. He missed two layups and made three bad passing decisions during a 3 1/2 -minute stretch in which Toronto cut a 16-point lead to 90-86. The good - five rebounds and four assists to go with his 34 points - was pretty obvious, too.

In the final 7:15, Curry went 6-for-6, scoring 14 of the Warriors' final 19 points and swiping two Raptors' passes. Curry's pull-up 19-footer with a minute remaining put the Warriors up by seven points.

"One thing we know about him is that he has a tremendous resolve," Smart said. "He understands the ups and the downs of this league."

Curry's final basket got a priceless reaction from Dorell Wright, who shot a does-this-kid-ever-miss look at the bench. Curry had his own reaction for his teammates, pounding his chest as he returned there for a Toronto timeout.

"It was just good to be that much closer to a road win," Curry said. "The whole game I was trying to think what it would take to finish the game out."

Only a night before, the Warriors blew a nine-point second-half lead in Detroit. Curry missed a three-pointer with 13 seconds left that could have tied it.

"We continued to assure him that we want him taking those big shots, because he's going to make them," said David Lee, who had his fifth double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds). "He came back and hit a couple of back-breakers."

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